“As a father with a work-from-home career in IT, moving was always a possibility but I never found that ideal place. When I was first presented with the idea of living in a rural community by my long-time friend and business partner, I had many concerns. I think I gave him that “you must be crazy” look.

The cost of living is rural Maine was the enticing part but what was the trade-off? Born and raised in California, I worried about the adjustment for myself and my family to a cold climate. I worried about my future ability to work from home. Rural surely means terrible internet, right? The schools for my children were a worry. I had so many preconceptions of what a “small town school” might be like.

When we came to visit, I was utterly shocked to learn that Houlton has reliable, fiber internet to the home, hosting some of the fastest speeds in the State, and likely the country, for reasonable cost. My preconceptions about rural community schools were dashed. My daughter went from falling asleep in Zoom classes to attending in-person school, with smaller class sizes and better facilities than she had in California. The teachers are attentive and caring. The highlight for our kids was riding the bus right from our front door.

Oh, and the winter we were warned about? Even this California family has learned to enjoy it. It’s not nearly as bad as people might have you believe and there’s an incredible amount of activities to enjoy. Moving to Houlton has been one of the best decisions we’ve made.”